Things to do with Kids-Catonsville, Ellicott City, Columbia, Baltimore

If you are looking for something to do with kids near Catonsville, Ellicott City, Columbia or Baltimore, you may want to consider The Pottery Stop. The Pottery Stop is a paint-your-own pottery and coffee shop in Ellicott City.

The Pottery Stop is located in Ellicott City on Rt. 40 at the corner of St. John’s Lane. They are in the NEW St. John’s Crossing shopping center, near QDoba Mexican Grille.

We were looking for a gift for Sydney to give to Billy for Father's Day. I was looking for a fun way to spend some time with Sydney (my then 5 year old). The Pottery STOP offered both!

I called the Pottery Stop and asked about how much time we would need. I was asked about Sydney's age and told me that kids her age usually get bored in about an hour. We packed up and headed down at about 11:30 AM.

There is a wide variety of pottery to choose from, from figurines to water pitchers. Having never done this before, I allowed Sydney to pick out a plate that was bigger than my head...maybe not the best first time piece, but for us, it worked out.

We were led to a table in the shop, given some basic instruction, and shown to the supply section. We talked a little bit about how she wanted to decorate the plate. Sydney was then able to pick out her brushes, paints, stamps and sponges. She picked out a ton of colors.

The staff was great in helping with any questions we had. They offered easy to understand suggestions, and explained how the different paints would work together. She painted, and painted more. As she painted, I painted over what she had done. Don't worry, I didn't paint OVER what she had done. I painted additional layers of the paint she had already painted. The more layers of paint in a design, the brighter the colors.

When Sydney's project was complete to her satisfaction, she looked around at the other pottery options and asked to do another. By that time we had been there for OVER 3 hours!!! I'd say it was a success. I told her we needed to have some lunch but that we could come back again another day. She turned in her finished piece for firing. We paid (you can pay by the piece or by studio time) and were given a ticket to come back to pick up the finished piece at the end of the week.

We headed to Qdoba and had a great lunch together. She just kept talking about how much fun she had and how much Daddy would like her gift. I may just have an artist on my hands!

Since we thought of this so late, the staff said they would try to get it out by Father's Day. We weren't too concerned, this surprise would be worth the wait! They asked me to call for an update as the day got closer. I called on the morning of Father's Day and was told that it was ready!! Sydney could hardly contain herself on the way to pick up the plate. She was so excited and just knew that Daddy would LOVE IT!!

We were not disappointed. It turned out great, the colors were so bright! Of course Sydney was right, Papa Razzi had tears in his eyes when he opened her special gift. He loved it (and me) even more when I told him about our time at THE POTTERY STOP. Sydney can't wait to go back again. Maybe our next project will be for Christmas gifts! Be sure to leave enough time for the firing process. The KILN gets really packed, especially around holidays, so there is often a wait. Once fired, the pottery is food grade. Billy is choosing to display the plate for now, but I bet one of these days a special Daddy breakfast will find its way onto that plate!

The Pottery Stop offers children's parties, camps, classes and work shops in addition to pottery by the piece. If I remember correctly, there is even a girls night out with wine! All ages are welcome. If the kids are under 12 they must be supervised.

Things to do with Kids-Catonsville, Ellicott City, Columbia, Baltimore